Category: synthpop

Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s, reached its heyday in the 1980s, and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic, art rock, disco, and particularly the “Krautrock” of bands like Kraftwerk. It arose as a distinct genre in Japan and the United Kingdom in the post-punk era as part of the new wave movement of the late-1970s to the mid-1980s.

Early synth-pop pioneers included Japanese group Yellow Magic Orchestra, and British bands Ultravox , the Human League and Berlin Blondes; the Human League used monophonic synthesizers to produce music with a simple and austere sound. After the breakthrough of Gary Numan in the UK Singles Chart in 1979, large numbers of artists began to enjoy success with a synthesizer-based sound in the early 1980s, including late 1970s debutants like Japan and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, and newcomers such as Depeche Mode and Eurythmics. In Japan, Yellow Magic Orchestra’s success opened the way for synth-pop bands such as P-Model, Plastics, and Hikashu. The development of inexpensive polyphonic synthesizers, the definition of MIDI and the use of dance beats, led to a more commercial and accessible sound for synth-pop. This, its adoption by the style-conscious acts from the New Romantic movement, together with the rise of MTV, led to success for large numbers of British synth-pop acts (including Duran Duran, and Spandau Ballet) in the United States.

“Synth-pop” is sometimes used interchangeably with “electropop”, but “electropop” may also denote a variant of synth-pop that places more emphasis on a harder, more electronic sound. In the late 1980s duos such as Erasure and Pet Shop Boys adopted a style that was highly successful on the US dance-charts, but by the end of the decade synth-pop had largely been abandoned. Interest began to revive in the indietronica and electroclash movements in the late 1990s, and in the first decade of the 21st century synth-pop enjoyed a widespread revival, with commercial success for acts including Lady Gaga, La Roux, Owl City, M83 and Chvrches.

The genre has received criticism for alleged lack of emotion and musicianship; prominent artists have spoken out against detractors who believed that synthesizers themselves composed and played the songs. Some artists and bands (like Depeche Mode, who helped popularise the genre) were criticised for gender bending. Synth-pop helped to establish the place of the synthesizer as a major element of pop and rock music, directly influenced subsequent genres (including house music and Detroit techno) and has indirectly influenced many other genres and individual recordings.

Empire of the Sun was one of the first dream pop bands that I got into, and I feel like I kind of owe them for helping me get into bands like Blonde Redhead and Beach House (Well, them and Richard Sandlin), this album is consistently entertaining brain candy. It’s nothing new, let’s get that straight, but it is really fun and really easy to turn your brain off to. It’s interesting to see the response to this band (mostly negative) after the release of their single Walking on a Dream, people are expecting them to reinvent the wheel, but these guys just wanna make funky music, and they’ve never failed at that.

The Human League is so much fun, but more than that they are political and heartbreaking as well (check out Seconds off this album). Dare is a great introduction to this band, it’s so 80’s sounding in the best possible way. Like somebody singing over Sega Genesis soundeffects (especially Do or Die) Dare has enough substance and interesting beats to make this album worth your time.

Here’s the thing with Junk when the tracks hit, they hit hard. There are some truly amazing songs on this album. But as with most electronic albums I’ve come across there is a lot of filler short tracks that weigh it down. Ugh if only they’d cut this album in half and add more like the good songs on the album then we’d have something to talk about.

Future Islands continues to release amazing albums, this is my favourite of 2017 thus far (we’ll see if that changes). Samuel T. Herring’s vocals keep me wanting more and the funky instrumentals are a delicious treat.